Senior Program Officer - Human Services (KF)

Posted on May 10, 2019

About the Foundation

The Kresge Foundation is one of the top 20 private foundations in the United States and the only one focused exclusively on expanding opportunities for people with low income in American Cities. With a $3.8 billion endowment and a staff of over 100 employees, the foundation deploys grants and social investments across arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services and community development. The foundation’s state-of-the-art headquarters maintains an array of energy-efficient, water-conserving and health-promoting systems. The foundation also operates an office in Detroit’s Midtown district.

About the Position

The Human Services Program has an immediate opening for a Senior Program Officer to assist in the design and implementation of a grantmaking strategy that addresses the nation’s persistent and growing human services issues.

We seek to position The Kresge Foundation as a recognized leader within human services philanthropy by partnering effectively with other foundations, public, private and nonprofit sectors, and by deploying our capital in innovative ways for the benefit of nonprofit organizations and the people they serve. With a racial equity lens, we are laser focused on achieving person-centered systems change that accelerates social and economic mobility for children and families. To accomplish this we work with local, state, and national partners who are reimagining support systems and co-creating solutions with children, families and community partners. The goal is to meet them where they are and provide the support they need to build well-being and to reach their full potential.

Although the human services field is facing significant challenges, the sector is maintaining its momentum, realizing outcomes, and helping children, families and communities in cities around the nation achieve their dreams. We accomplish this by investing in these focus areas:

Cultivating the next generation of human services organizations. We support a cohort of high-performing nonprofit and public sector human services organizations in many ways, including creating organization and cohort-wide action plans that accelerate social and economic mobility and revolutionize the human services sector.

You will join Kresge at an exciting time, becoming a member of a team that is engaged in human services during a period of transformation and impact. Although the program’s broad themes and funding priorities are directed at improving opportunity (social & economic mobility) this role will require you to work across non-human services sectors and in the realm of policy and community-based environments. This position reports to the Managing Director of Human Services.

We are interested in someone who brings a combination of experience and deployment of best practices in two or more of these areas:

Brain-science informed, two-generation, whole family approach; the important role of fathers; and/or trauma informed situations.

Obtain, maintain, and share knowledge of effective strategies and current thinking in field – what works, what are the most effective and /or innovative ways to support the work, and how to implement strategies with partners.

Participate in national networks, affinity groups, and other external efforts to advance the program’s strategies and the team’s standing within the human services field.

Interact with other human services grant makers, nonprofit leaders, and public and private sector stakeholders to assess developments in the field and strategic points for philanthropic engagement.

Work with other Kresge program teams on mutually planned and developed collaborative efforts.

Prepare, individually and with other team members, strategy papers and other written materials for the foundation’s management and Board of Trustees.

Identify possible grant and social investment opportunities that advance the program’s strategies.

With the Social Investment Practice, evaluate the feasibility of alternative forms of capital support for human services organizations and contribute to the program’s embrace of social investment tools.

Manage consultants and commission research as needed. Lead research and program development along with managing director.

Within the team calendar, conduct site visits and partake of professional development opportunities.

Maintain a high level of external visibility and involvement, and lead community initiatives on behalf of the foundation.

To Apply

Kresge is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBT applicants. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability or other applicable legally protected characteristics.